The Hayat Café sits amidst tangerine groves in a slightly elevated position, just a couple of hundred metres back from Gumusluk beach.
Tables and chairs spread out along the hillside, and there’s a comfy ‘chill out’ area to one side of the restaurant and more seating under the tangerine trees just below the bar.
As well as serving a variety of lunch and evening dishes the Hayat has an extensive breakfast menu. We sampled muesli with fresh fruit and yogurt, omelettes and spicy sausage, all of which were good, as was the filter coffee (though the latter cost 8tl each – always much more expensive than tea). Prices are average for Gumusluk: less expensive than the restaurants along the waterfront, but not so cheap as Mars Café.
To reach the Hayat walk along the beach (sea to your right) past Club Gumusluk and the Jazz Café and you’ll see a sign directing you inland. Alternatively use the entrance on the Turgutreis road. The Hayat is open from January to the end of October.
The Jazz Café is at the far end of the beach. During Bayram – the biggest public holiday in Turkey- several concerts were planned .
We reserved a table for a concert where a girl called Selale Sehnazsam was singing. There was a guy on keyboard and another on guitar. It was a really good evening! Selale was an excellent singer and entertainer! She sang an eclectic mix of songs in different languages and engaged with the audience. The banter was all in Turkish of course but we often got the gist and joined in (clapping or the odd refrain) with everyone else. People were walking past the café, returning from restaurants etc and Selale got some of them singing and dancing too!
There was a good crowd at the café and everyone was having fun. Our young waitress – who looked about 18 or 19 – was clearly enjoying the evening, smiling and singing and skipping along as she served people. The concert lasted from 10 till about 12.20 with a short break in the middle. It cost us 30tl each plus drinks.
